Mickel Therapy - Jane Sinclair

“Over 7,000 free of CFS/M.E and Fibromyalgia since 2001”

“Mickel Therapy gave me my life back!" Martin G

Mickel Therapy uses the principles of neuroplasticity of the nervous system to resolve the symptoms of pain and fatigue. We teach our clients to calm the pain/fatigue nerve pathways, which have become oversensitised and conditioned over time. The Mickel Therapy approach is based on proven neuroscientific research and I will guide and support you to develop new pain/fatigue free nerve pathways.

Neuroscientists agree that the sensation of pain is created by tissue damage and thoughts, beliefs and emotions in response to perceived danger (Moseley and Butler). A diagnosis of M.E/CFS and Fibromyalgia will have excluded tissue damage as a source of pain and fatigue. So if the research identifies that our emotions, thoughts and beliefs are triggering pain and fatigue in response to perceived emotional danger then by changing our behaviour we develop new pain/fatigue free nerve pathways to replace the old pain pathways. It is a bit like learning to ride a bike; the more we practice the stronger the new nerve pathways become.

We all know that when we FEEL sensations like hunger, cold, fear or pain our bodies are responding by constantly producing chemical reactions to prepare us to take action. Hunger pangs motivate us to eat food, the sensation of cold encourages us to seek shelter and acute pain in response to a broken leg leads us to take action by resting it.

The emotion of fear causes a cascade of chemicals and hormones including adrenalin to flood into the bloodstream. Blood pressure increases which accelerates the heart beat, blood rushes to the legs and we prepare to take action in response to danger. This is called the fight or flight response or the stress response (Selye). Once the danger has been dealt with then the body returns to balance.

So, we know that when we feel a sensation of pain/fatigue in our body that this is a call to take action and change our behaviour in response to our most primitive and instinctive emotions. Mickel Therapy will teach you how to do that so that you can apply it in your daily life.

As we go about our daily lives the stress response is constantly triggered by traffic jams, deadlines, aggressive bosses, mother-in–laws, partners, social media etc. In addition our bodies are also subjected to these stress chemicals in response to our own beliefs, thoughts and emotions, which are chemicals called peptides (Candace Pert) that facilitate nerve impulses in the body which create pain. (David Butler). So, for example if we learnt a belief as a child that it is rude and selfish to be angry then we become unconsciously programmed to suppress instinctive feelings of anger. The purpose of the emotion of anger (which is anything from irritation to rage) is to instinctively motivate us to change our behaviour by setting boundaries in our lives (Gabor Mate). If we no longer feel this emotion then we might not take the right action in our interactions with others. This will cause the maladapted stress response to stay switched on, as we have accidentally learnt not to act in our own best interests. In addition the pain/fatigue nerve pathways will continue to be re-enforced in response to the same old behaviours.

People with ME, CFS and Fibromyalgia sometimes say that they don’t feel stressed but if this fight or flight response stays switched on even at a low level all the time then the body becomes out of balance. Symptoms of pain and fatigue are eventually initiated as a signal for us to take action and change our behaviour in response to perceived danger, which can be physical or emotional. It is a protective mechanism that has become overprotective.

Symptoms are also caused by the thinking brain and the emotional brain becoming out of balance. We learn from childhood not to listen to our gut instincts from our emotional brain and the thinking brain dominates in our decision-making. I will teach you the skills to re-balance them so that they work together in harmony. Once balance is re-established then symptoms resolve. This aspect of the process is unique to Mickel Therapy and Dr David Mickel, discovered through working with patients in his GP practice, that gut instinct emotions guide our behaviour. If we learn over time to not respond to them then the body perceives danger. And what does the body do when it perceives emotional or physical danger? It produces the sensation of pain and fatigue to motivate us to take action.

In the first session we work together to identify what affects the intensity of the symptoms and then by changing how you interact with your environment using the pain intensity as your guide, we can start to develop new pain free nerve pathways. As you re-learn how to listen to your unconscious instinctive emotions and let them guide you then you start to take the right action in all situations. The stress signal stops when the behavioural response is no longer perceived as dangerous emotionally. The body then stops sending symptoms.

If you feel that this all makes sense to you, and you are ready to take back responsibility for your own health and well being then please do contact me for a free 30 minute telephone session without obligation. I can also answer any preliminary questions that you may have, over the phone (07788 710820) and let you know what to expect during the process.

Mickel Therapy is different from counselling which looks at a person's past and from CBT which teaches cognitive management of thought derived emotions. MT finds the root cause of symptoms and resolves them rather than managing them.

If you would like more insights then watch a documentary film called "The Connection "by a journalist who had M.E and was searching for a cure. Although it doesn’t mention MT, many of the principles that we use are discussed.

80% of clients become symptom free in 8 to 12 sessions as we are all different. Most people notice a reduction in symptoms after 3 weeks. The first session is 90 minutes and after that each session lasts about 1 hour. Email/phone support is available between sessions. A complimentary 30 minute first trial session is always available by phone as an opportunity for you to find out more without any obligation.
1 session per week for the first 5 weeks, then 1 session every 2 to 4 weeks after that. I work face- to-face in Stockport or worldwide via
Skype.

Over the next few days try noticing when your symptoms of pain or fatigue increase and decrease and when they do, instead of resting try and change what you are doing to something more enjoyable or stimulating and notice the effect that this action has on them. Even if it is just moving to sit in a different room or stepping outside.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that I have the opportunity to guide and support you through your recovery.

Jane Sinclair
(07788 710820)
www.facebook.com/janesinclairmickel/
SENIOR MICKEL THERAPIST